There are several excellent articles describing causes and types of Acne. They all come to the same conclusion - there is no cure for Acne. It is part of growing up and in some cases Acne can last well into adult life.
However, if you follow a proper skin care regimen, you can minimize and/or eliminate Acne flare-ups. This article will discuss various concerns while selecting a suitable Acne control regimen
Most commercial Acne treatments are multi-step, cumbersome and over priced. In these 24/7 times, who has the time or the patience to perform Step 1 of a multi-part regimen, wait a few minutes and then do step 2 and so on. Fail to follow instructions properly and you have wasted your time or worse subjected yourself to a more concentrated Step 2 - leading to scarred tissue.
Let's face it - you would not notice an Acne treatment unless some celebrity or medical professional association has endorsed it or a company has spent $$$$ promoting it all over the Internet, magazines, TV, newspapers, pop-up ads and infomercials. All that adds to the cost of doing business and needs to be passed on to you - the customer.
In searching for an Acne treatment, here were some of my concerns:
1. Is the treatment regimen hard to follow? Are there multiple steps?
2. What are the side-effects? Can I use it regularly or do I have to stop, take a break and start again? What happens if the Acne comes back during the break?
3. Does it have an obnoxious smell?
4. If I am travelling can I carry liquid treatments on my flight? Would they spill and soil my luggage?
5. Some of the treatments have ingredients that can decrease in potency once the bottle is opened up. So once I am half way through the container, will it still work?
In scouring through several posts on the Internet, I came across several home made recipes. Here is the problem with these recipes:
1. Who has the time to first concoct these recipes on a daily basis and then use them?
2. Even if you made a big batch, will it grow pathogens during storage and add to my woes?
Acne treatments are just plain tricky. After all what works for Joe does not work for Sara. Causes for failure to work can be varied and therein lies the puzzle!
Is the cause due to the product or have you contaminated the product or has the product just lost its potency after a while?
Scenario 1
Product has not worked from Day 1 and chances are that it either solves part of the problem or simply not suited to your skin type. In this case, it’s time to find another product.
Scenario 2
Product works initially but has stopped working. Here are some of the possible causes:
a. Product has been contaminated. Note that acne is caused by bacteria and as you take the applicator back and forth, chances are that the product gets contaminated and the active ingredient is consumed in fighting that contamination.
b. Chances are that volatile components, easily oxidizable ingredients, temperature/moisture sensitive components will lose their potency once the container is opened and hence the product stops working after a while.
Scenario 3
You have been using a home made remedy. It works initially and now bupkus! Did you make a big batch and since it is not formulated properly pathogens are growing in it. This could add to your woes. Or the ingredients you used last time were from a different source than your current supply and potency has changed. Who knows?
If you are experiencing these issues, one product to try is "Niapads". Niapads contains Niacinamide USP.
For years I have read that Niacinamide - applied topically is superior to antibiotics such as Clindamycin in treating acne without any side -effects. There are publications in scientific journals that highlight these findings. (Niacinamide is also known as Nicotinamide or Vitamin B3).